1997-98 El Niño Coastal Monitoring Program

Bruce Richmond, Ann Gibbs, and others

USGS

During late January and early February of 1998, the California
Coast was hit by a series of powerful El Niño winter storms. At least
27 counties in California were declared National Disaster Areas, with hundreds
of millions of dollars in property losses. Large waves, which coincided
with high tides and elevated sea levels, produced severe beach erosion.

USGS researchers and students from University of California at Santa
Cruz have been conducting beach surveys and monitoring changes in coastal
morphology since early October 1997. Up to 4 meters of vertical beach loss
was measured on several Monterey Bay beaches between October and mid-February
and many beaches were completely submerged during high tides. Historical
structures that had been buried since 1983, such as wharf pilings, old seawalls,
and trolley car trestles, became emergent on several Monterey Bay beaches.

Coastal protection structures emplaced following the 1982-83 El Niño
winter were mostly successful in mitigating coastal property loss due to
wave attack and inundation. Most property damage was the result of the high
rainfall amounts which caused flooding and landslides.

Click on a beach name to see a series of
photographs
taken from October '97 - February '98